


you're a ten, i'm a four-leaved clover

by zxrycyan



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Boys In Love, Falling In Love, Family Bonding, Getting Together, Humour, Keith is so oblivious, M/M, Pining, Singing Lance (Voltron), Song fic?, Team Bonding, Team as Family, hunk plays the guitar, lance comes out via song? sorta
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:46:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24478171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zxrycyan/pseuds/zxrycyan
Summary: An exploration of the team getting closer and Keith falling in love, featuring lots of Lance singing and Keith being completely oblivious about pop culture and other things.(He only gets one step in the door before the chorus hits and Lance starts rapping, making ridiculous hand gestures to fit and shifting his hips in time to the music. This would be nothing really out of the ordinary, except Lance is saying, "I- like- big boys, itty bitty boys, Mississippi boys-"Keith very nearly chokes on air."-inner city boys. I like them pretty boys, with the bow tie. Get your nails did, let it blow dry~ I like a-"Keith's mouth - without any input from his brain at all, what the hell - says intelligently, "You're straight."Oh, good one, Keith,he thinks sarcastically.)
Relationships: Hunk & Lance & Pidge | Katie Holt, Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 297





	you're a ten, i'm a four-leaved clover

**Author's Note:**

  * For [zxrysky](https://archiveofourown.org/users/zxrysky/gifts).



> gift to zxrysky, cuz you've been here from the start, some 8 years (?!) ago and i cannot write voltron fanfic without thinking of you <3
> 
> this fic happened because i was reading suadwm and then watched a video of my fav dance couple absolutely SLAYIN' to [Boys](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSc0krx0GvE) (please watch it it's amazing) and i couldnt get the idea of keith & lance dancing to it oUT OF MY HEAD holy shit. im too lazy to write dancing and i like space so i settled for lance singing it 
> 
> title is from Van Horn by Saint Motel! the next lines are 'well tell me do you hate me, or do you wanna date me, it's kinda hard to tell cuz your eyes are looking crazy', which, do I even need to explain? ;D hope you guys enjoy!!

It's the third night they're on a comprehensive Introduction to Everything Earth for Allura and Coran. So far, it's been proving an unexpectedly effective team-building exercise, everyone talking eagerly about the same topic and adding on to one another's statements. It hadn't been intended as such -- Allura had just asked a curious question, and Coran had backed her up. They certainly hadn't meant for the conversation to last three nights long.

But here they are, having gone over their hometowns, with a lengthy exposition into countries and states and international borders that had confused the two Alteans greatly ("But why? It seems so arbitrary; all of you are humans, are you not?"), Earth food, various cultural practices and traditions, and now they're on...

"Music!" Lance exclaims, jumping up from the couch, "I can't believe we haven't talked about music!"

"Oh, I love music," Coran agrees, "Back in the days, I had a singing and dancing gig at the Conservatory with some beautiful vantulapuas!" 

"Vantulapuas?" Pidge asks. 

"Oh yes! They are big, docile animals, yet astonishingly light on their feet and intelligent enough to learn a dance and have fun with it!"

The Earthlings blink in slight perturbation - was Coran dancing with elephants or something? - while Allura lights up. "I haven't seen you dance in a while! Why don't you show us a little something, Coran?"

"Yeah, yeah!" Lance cheers, "C'mon Coran, go get 'em!" 

"But I don't have the shoes..." Coran frowns, before visibly deciding it doesn't matter and launching into a quick, footwork-heavy dance that resembles tap dancing. He's unmistakably highly skilled, his movements clean-cut, but Keith, personally, could have lived his whole life without seeing Coran shaking his hips and doing other more... _provocative_ moves. Seriously, his whole life.

Coran ends the dance with a sweeping bow, looking incredibly pleased at the genuine applause and appreciative whistling (courtesy of Lance) that follows.

"How about some bass to go with that, huh?" Lance suggests, already tapping around on his phone in search of the perfect song. 

"Hit me," Coran declares, and Lance immediately chooses a song on his playlist. What comes out of his speakers is a fast-paced, upbeat Spanish song, with cha-cha-chas and claps and lots of energetic drums, and a woman's rich, velvety voice. After a few ticks of feeling out the rhythm, Coran launches into his dance. 

Three more Spanish songs later, the Altean finally stops, leaning heavily against a wall and announcing that he's too tired to continue despite Lance's continued encouragements. He's clearly delighted though, and taking a look around, Keith realises the rest of the team looks interested and relaxed as well. Even Pidge had set aside her tablet, watching the proceedings with a small grin on her face.

"Alright, time for me to take over!" Lance announces, "Allura, Coran, here's a super comprehensive Introduction to Earth Music for Alien Alteans!" 

The blue paladin looks needlessly proud of himself for the amateur alliteration, and Keith manages to catch Pidge's glance as he rolls his eyes, making the girl chuckle. 

Lance doesn't notice, having launched into a brief history of pop music over the centuries to the background of something jazzy, then "disco", then a band he calls "The Beatles" ("Hunk's favourite," Lance adds at the same time that Hunk says, "I really like them.") and a "Green Day", then finally what he pronounces "the best of the eras, the lost ones, the reason I should've been born in 2000... They just don't make stuff like that anymore..." --

"THIS SHIT IS BANANAS, B-A-N-A-N-A-S!" 

Yeah, Lance is an idiot, Keith is sure of it. And to think he'd actually been thinking that Lance is knowledgeable at something -- he definitely knows a lot about music.

Allura and Coran and even Shiro, the traitor, seem suitably fascinated though, so Lance gets to continue telling them about "Beyonce" and blah blah blah, Keith stops trying to remember the names, there are just too many. 

"This is a heavily biased introduction to music," Hunk warns the Alteans while laughing, at least fifteen minutes later.

"Yeah, but biased to the _good stuff!_ These are classics; the pinnacle of pop music!" Lance declares dramatically.

Hunk laughs. "Sure, buddy." To the rest, he explains, "Lance listens to a lot of different things, but he only gets over-enthusiastic about his "queens". If you guys want to know more, maybe everyone should share?" 

At this, the attention switches onto Pidge (because "You always have headphones on, you must have lots to share!"), who protests that her tastes are too esoteric. But because they're dedicated to a Super Comprehensive Introduction, the team (minus Keith, who doesn't really give a crap about music) manages to goad her into it. 

"Just don't blame me if you guys don't like it," she warns. And proceeds to blast something that sounds like pieces of metal shrieking against each other and a hundred cats yowling all at once, and that's before an actual _person_ starts shouting. Allura jumps, Shiro blinks, Coran laughs with delight, and Keith and Hunk plug their ears with their fingers. 

Lance, of course, just takes that as his chance to yell even louder, "HOW DO YOU EVEN CODE WHILE LISTENING TO DEATH METAL AND SCREAMO?!" 

Pidge shrugs, and after ten more seconds, takes pity on their ears and stops the music for them. Ah, blessed silence. "Alright, fine, you guys might actually like this one instead," she says with a smirk as she puts on something much less metal, more electronic. It's fast and layered, with interesting shifts in the middle that make it sound almost like several different songs in one.

They actually do like it. 

When it ends, Pidge prods in a bored manner, "Keith, you're up."

"I don't listen to music," Keith says simply, over Lance's squawk of outrage at that statement. "Next. Hunk?"

Hunk smiles. "I like the traditional stuff they used to play back home. Also, soft guitars and mild, classic rock. Pretty oldie stuff." 

"And some acoustic covers too," Lance reminds him.

"Yeah, that," Hunk agrees, picking up Lance's phone to play something. "This is one of my favourites, and even Lance loves it. _Hotel California_."

Where Lance's stuff was catchy and made you feel like tapping your feet, Hunk's favoured music is slower, gentle but deep. It's somehow reminiscent of dark wood bars and warm, dim lighting, capable of reaching into your very soul. Keith finds himself actually closing his eyes and sinking into the rich tones of _Hotel California._

When the song ends and the Alteans profess how great it is, Hunk smiles abashedly and says, pleased, "Yeah, and it's a really interesting song, with lots of theories about the interpretation behind it. Some people say it's about the American Dream, and others say it's actually about a mental institution, or even Hell. It's really dark, but genius. Anyway, next! Shiro, your turn." 

Keith doesn't expect Shiro to be ready with, "Well, I don't listen to music much, but... have you got Elvis Presley on there, Lance?" 

"Oh my God, you like Presley?! I've got a couple!" 

"I only really know one or two. My favourite song is _Can't Help Falling In Love_." Shiro actually blushes faintly saying that. What the hell? When had the guy gotten so sappy? Keith is going to tease him endlessly about this. Until he realises that Shiro looks a little bit sad, and... oh. Oh, this had to do with that guy he'd been dating, doesn't it? Crap, Keith can't bring this up.

But as the song starts playing, Keith catches Allura glancing at Shiro from beneath her lashes, and Shiro glancing back at what happens to be the same time. They both look away hastily. Keith barely manages not to snicker, and sends a silent thanks to whatever deities that exist for once again restoring him with blackmail-worthy material. 

By the time that song ends, the hour's gotten quite close to their bedtime and one yawn leads to another. They disperse, exchanging "good night"s and satisfied smiles. Even Keith can admit to himself that he'd had a good time -- he hadn't wanted to leave and head to the training deck at all. 

An effective team-building exercise indeed.

* * *

The team soon learns that whenever Lance gets obsessed with a song, all of them will hear it at some point or another. 

(" _Sorry_ I didn't walk around with my earpieces all the time like Pidge and no one told me to bring them along before our impromptu desert-turned-space adventure!" He'd protested at Keith's grumblings once.) 

This particular evening, they're lounging around after a tiring training session while waiting for dinner, when Lance hits play on his phone. It's not super loud, but Keith is sitting close enough to hear the lyrics and Lance singing faintly, seeming to only pay half a mind to it, with each _"buh-lum"_.

"I was busy thinking 'bout boys," goes the music, and Keith nearly falls off the couch.

"Buh-lum," goes Lance.

"Boys-"

"Buh-lum."

"Boys-"

"Buh-lum." 

"I was busy dreaming 'bout boys, buh-lum, boys, buh-lum, boys, buh-lum. Head is swimming thinking 'bout-" 

"Yeah, if you replace "boys" with "girls" we'd basically have Lance on repeat," Keith mutters.

He doesn't expect Pidge and Hunk to burst out laughing so hard that she bends nearly double and he starts wheezing. Sure, he thought they'd laugh, but not so much like they were _dying_.

Lance goes so red Keith can almost see steam coming out of his ears. "Shut up!" He screeches, but surprisingly not at Keith -- instead, it's directed at his two best friends, "Shut up, shut up, shut up, oh my God I hate you both. Huuunk! Pidge!!"

They don't stop laughing, and Lance stops his music huffily and crosses his arms over his chest, looking anywhere but at Keith. "Shut uuuuup," he whines, "Let a man listen to his jams in peace."

They only laugh harder.

Keith is officially confused as hell.

(Just the day before, Lance had been singing that song in the kitchen, watching Hunk cook as Pidge walked in.

A couple lines later, Pidge had said, "You know, if you replace "boys" with "Keith" we wouldn't even need Lance around anymore." 

"Pidge!" Lance had damn-near screamed, "What! I don't- why you- I never- you're evil! An evil little demon!" while Hunk had merely laughed and stirred the soup.) 

* * *

Somehow, this starts happening more and more often: the team voluntarily spending time together, _chilling_. It doesn't happen every night, because they've all got things to do - maintenance around the castle or a tech project or more training, etc. - and sometimes they just kind of end up sitting in the same room. But even that's comfortable, and other nights they even play Altean cards and board games together, or watch movies, or talk. 

It starts to feel like family. 

One night, Hunk tells them about how he'd have loved to play guitar for them, how he'd used to have campfires back in his village. 

"Everyone would sing along and some people would dance, including my Ma," Hunk recounts, laughing, "We would use the most random instruments, like coconut husks as drums."

"Wait!" Allura exclaims suddenly, "What does a guitar look like? Alteans liked music, and we definitely have some instruments in the castle." 

After an excited description and an even more excited "We have something similar! A haneurel!" from Allura, she runs off with Lance following closely behind to look for the haneurel.

Fifteen minutes later, they return with Lance clutching a wooden string instrument, beaming at Hunk. 

"It only has five strings, and no frets," Lance says to his best friend, "But it sounds really similar and I think you'd pick it up in no time at all!" 

Hunk looks almost as excited as the first time they'd managed to eat something that's not goo on the ship.

Sure enough, a week and two Galra battles later, the team is gathered again and Hunk brings out the haneurel. "I think I've got enough of the hang of this to sing a couple songs. You up, Lance?" He grins. 

"Of course! I'm ready, I was born ready!" Lance leaps clean over the back of the couch and lands beside Hunk, bouncing slightly. The rest of the team shift into more comfortable positions as Hunk strikes a few chords and says, "Well, here we go."

Then he starts singing, Lance joining in quickly on songs he remembers and letting Hunk have the spotlight on others. It's actually impressive how well they know the lyrics to most of the songs. Hunk's voice is deeper but less melodic than Lance's, and there are some parts where he laughs and just says the lyrics because "I can't hit it, it's too high", but they complement each other very well. Shiro, surprisingly, even knows a few of the older songs - maybe Hunk had specifically picked them with their tastes in mind? - and sings a few lines, humming the rest. 

It's awfully... nice that they can share something so wholesome and easy and sweet, right alongside the casual violence and terrible purpose. 

Even the transitions between songs is smooth, which makes Keith wonder how many times Hunk and Lance had done this, back in their room in the Garrison or maybe even out on the roof with Pidge, watching the stars. It almost makes Keith ache, that he'd never had anything like this in his life before.

This next song starts out without accompanying guitar, just Hunk singing, "Everybody needs a place to call their home, everybody needs someone to call their own~" 

Lance gives Hunk a surprised look as the bigger boy starts to strum, having a whole unspoken conversation through their eyes and eyebrows and slight head movements. 

Seeming to agree, the Cuban boy jumps in on the next line, "Even when you're lonely, know you're not alone... You're one of us, one of us, one of us, one of us~"

The two boys alternate for the verse, with Lance starting on, "Oh. Is this your starring role, or just a cameo?" 

"Who are you living for, living for, living, oh," Hunk follows.

"When you can't take no more, 'cause when it rains, it pours-"

"-What are you living for, living for, living?"

"I don't got much, but I got heart and soul~ I found myself through all the highs and lows~"

"Oh, will you drown in the pain, or go dance in the rain?" 

"What are you living for, living for, living~"

The rest of the team watch and listen, transfixed by how into it the two best friends get, how much the song clearly means to them. They sing it softly, warmly -- it's a far cry from Lance's sassy pop songs and more upbeat than Hunk's usual selections, but they undoubtedly love it just as much. It's so deeply personal that it tugs at Keith's heartstrings, and Keith didn't even think he had heartstrings.

In the middle, Pidge, who has evidently heard them sing it before, joins in, "Bring the sunshine in, the happy days --"

Both boys look at her in astonishment and delight, before their faces morph into something soft and encouraging. The rest of the team is equally surprised, because Pidge had never seemed even inclined to sing anything. Her voice is unpracticed, raw, and not entirely on pitch, but somehow beautiful because of that, and she never stops smiling.

"The hardships too, we'll find a way~" Lance waves at her to go over and sit with them. She does, dropping herself on the couch next to him and not even shrugging off the arm the boy slings over her shoulders. "So raise your flag, one last time! Before the day is through, I promise you, that we'll laugh about it all, and we'll celebrate the things we've done for years to come 'cause that's what friends, that's what friends are for~"

Keith realises he's forgotten to breathe by the time the song ends a minute later, the melody petering out with a slow and drawn out, "Oneee of us~" and Hunk finishing with, "Ohhh."

Silence reigns because words feel inadequate to capture the minutes that just passed.

"It's so cheesy," Lance whines suddenly, collapsing into Hunk's shoulder and accidentally squashing Pidge against his side, clearly embarrassed, "And I thought it was our song. Best bros song!"

"Oh, true..." Hunk realises. It kind of _is_ their thing. Sure, it's a tune millions of other people have heard, but it's personal in how much it means to them, how they've always sung it when one (or both) of them had had bad days. Hunk continues, realising how true it is even as he says the words aloud, "I just think it's a really nice song to share with the team. I trust them." He shrugs, smiling.

Pidge, in the meantime, squirms her way out of Lance's lap disgruntedly, with a punch or two thrown in, but she can't quite hide the happiness still lurking on her face.

"Awww, now you're making me _learn to share_. Hunk, why must you be such a good influence all the time?" 

"Thank you," Allura cuts in, capturing their attention, "It's a beautiful song, and the sentiment behind it is... it's not lost on us." 

Shiro nods in agreement beside her. She smiles at the Garrison Trio, and for once Lance doesn't immediately try to flirt back. Instead, he just returns a small grin, abashed but straightforward and genuine, as Pidge smiles and Hunk says cheerily, "Thanks."

The moment passes. Lance flops back against the sofa contentedly and looks back in front of him -- which is, unfortunately, where Keith is sitting. Before Lance's expression can turn sour or embarrassed or anything, Keith nods and digs up a small smile for him.

After a surprised blink, Lance smiles back, soft and _radiant_. It knocks the damned breath out of Keith's lungs and makes his heart skip a beat in his chest.

Keith knows, kinda, that Lance has more depth than his shameless flirting with girls and not-particularly-intelligent bickering with Keith belies. He knows that, more by the lack of thinking Lance is shallow than by actively thinking that Lance has depth. But this time he really _sees_ it, _knows_ it, because it's the first time he's felt the other boy open up and wholeheartedly trust him. 

And it makes Lance seem so, so different.

Later, Keith will pinpoint this as the exact moment he starts to fall in love.

* * *

Keith is in a good mood. They'd just won a battle against the Galra, quite easily in fact, and the synergy he's been feeling with the team is kind of addictive (though he'd never admit it). He's light and relaxed as he comes out of the shower rooms, when he hears a choked sound from behind him. 

Startled, he barely manages not to jump and spins around to see Lance gaping at him and clutching a bundle of his own shower stuff. Keith closes his mouth, which is when he realises that his mouth had been open. Because _he'd been humming._ Something is terribly wrong with the world, because Keith _never_ hums. He doesn't even think about music! 

Instantly self-conscious, he scowls fiercely and tries to keep down the blush. "What." 

"Y-You, oh my God, you were singing Britney Spears! I'm so proud I can cry, you know _Britney Spears!_ Marry me. Marry me right now."

Keith's reaction is immediate and unstoppable -- he feels himself flush from the middle of his chest to the roots of his hair.

"YOU WERE PROJECTING THIS STUFF ACROSS THE BOND THE WHOLE WAY BACK FROM THE FIGHT WHEN WE WERE FREAKING MIND-MELDED, OF COURSE I KNOW THE TUNE, THE WHOLE TEAM KNOWS THE TUNE!" bursts out of his mouth, all in one breath.

The silence that follows is loud in contrast to the sheer volume of Keith's outburst, both of them equally shocked. Keith would quite literally rather be facing down an entire Galra company right now.

"...Oops, I did it again?" Lance offers after three ticks, looking like he's about to laugh. 

Keith focuses on staring back with a carefully schooled, blank expression.

Lance throws his arms up. "Oh c'mon, that's the name of the song!" He cries in exasperation. "I had to stop it in the middle when the alarms started ee-yoh-ee-yoh-ing, so it was kinda stuck in my head." 

Keith loses the battle with himself, and he knows he's started smiling because Lance blinks at him, looking bewildered.

Clearing his throat awkwardly, he spins quickly on his heel and stalks off, throwing, "Now I'm gonna have your _donkey voice_ stuck in my head," over his shoulder.

"Wha- I don't have a donkey voice!" Lance splutters. "Come back here! Asshole!"

(Afterwards, Keith starts catching himself unthinkingly humming to random snatches of melodies that play at the back of his mind. Lance would be more than glad to agree that it is totally and completely his fault.)

* * *

Whenever Lance is in a good mood, even subconsciously, he sings. Half the time he doesn't seem to think about it, or sometimes even realise it, but Keith notices. Keith notices that Lance only sings when they've got nothing to worry over or anticipate or be upset about.

And Lance sings _everywhere,_ sometimes with his phone clutched in one hand and playing music out loud. He hums to himself after missions, he sings in the shower after training, while walking to their rooms after the team disperses, when they're all gathered in the same place doing their own things.

It's bizarre, how stupidly endearing Keith finds it -- the fact that music makes Lance so genuinely happy. It's obvious, laid bare for anyone to see -- the tiny smile on Lance's face when he sings, the way his eyes lose focus a bit like he's immersing himself in the sound and forgetting everything around him. In those moments, Lance is wholly himself, unconcerned with performing or putting on theatrics, with other people in general.

It's _pure_ and unfiltered and honest, almost vulnerable, and so endlessly charming in how it's very much not designed to _be_ charming. It certainly doesn't help that Lance is actually good at singing, that he's always on-tune and that his voice is melodic and warm, sometimes even rich in a way that makes Keith want to stop doing everything else and listen. 

No, it's hopeless and disastrous, is what it is. Because Lance is straight. And even if he isn't, there's no plausible way he feels the same about Keith.

But that's fine. Keith can deal. It's _fine_.

* * *

Keith can't sleep. His stomach growls persistently, trying to urge him out of his warm, comfy bed and into the cold air of the castle. 

"Ugh, fine," he mumbles to himself, quickly sliding into his jacket and making his way to the kitchen. It's past midnight Castle-Ship Time, so he's surprised that there's still light visible from the thin gap at the bottom of the door. Pidge, maybe, venturing out of the lab for a quick snack? She's a night owl if there ever was one. 

He yawns as the door slides open soundlessly, and the sound of upbeat music combined with the sight of brown hair and blue pyjamas greet him. Lance is actually playing his music softly out of consideration for the late hour, wow, colour Keith impressed. He's only had time to get one foot in the door when the chorus hits. 

Then Lance starts rapping, making ridiculous hand gestures to fit (Keith's sure if he could see Lance's face he'd be making hilarious expressions too) and shifting his hips in time to the music. This should be nothing _really_ out of the ordinary.

Except Lance is saying, "I- like- big boys, itty bitty boys, Mississippi boys-"

Keith very nearly chokes on air. Somehow it's different from the previous time he'd heard Lance listening to a song about boys, maybe because this time Lance is actually singing _a_ _ll the words out loud_ like he _means_ them. Which is crazy. Keith is vaguely worried he's getting a stroke.

"-inner city boys. I like them pretty boys, with the bow tie. Get your nails did, let it blow dry~"

Keith feels like a star about to go supernova, then collapse on itself into a black hole.

"I like a big beard, I like a clean face. I don't discriminate, come and get a taste~ From the playboys, to the gay boys, go and slay boys, you my fave boys!"

Then the chorus ends, and Keith hasn't moved a single muscle or even _breathed_. Lance stops singing along, but he continues bopping happily to the beat.

Just as he's about to pick up his spoon again, Keith's mouth - without any input from his brain at all, what the hell - says intelligently, "You're straight."

_Oh, good one, Keith,_ he thinks sarcastically. _Spectacular observation._

Lance shrieks and jumps three feet in the air, landing a second later with his hands held out protectively in front of him and staring at Keith like he'd expected to see a ghost. 

A second later, Lance relaxes while saying, "Keith! You scared me!" and Keith bursts out laughing so hard that he has to lean one hand against the door frame and wrap the other around his stomach, because his _face_ , oh God.

"S-shut up! Oh quiznak, how long have you been standing there?! Stop laughing! There _are_ ghosts around here, I'm telling you, and wait- did you just tell me I'm straight?! How are you still laughing -- it's not that funny, asshole! Okay, I'm going to stop talking until you stop laughing." 

By the time Keith finally manages to straighten up, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye because he hadn't laughed that hard in ages, his stomach hurts and Lance's face is so red that he resembles a tomato.

"I- ah, aha- I've got to do that again sometime." 

"Oi!" Lance protests, arms folded over his chest. 

"And what do you mean there are ghosts around here? Have you seen any?" Keith teases.

"Well, not yet," Lance replies petulantly, "But it's a ten thousand year-old castle, it's only a matter of time! And what do _you_ mean, accusing me of being straight?"

"A-accusing?!" Keith squawks.

"Yeah, accusing! That's erasure, that is." Lance nods to himself, entirely unaware of the imminent crisis looming in Keith's brain. "Hold up. Hold on a minute. Wait, wait, wait-"

"-waiting-"

"-wait, you didn't know?"

Keith's heart has started pounding at breakneck speed again. He tries to swallow it down from where it had jumped into his throat, rather unsuccessfully. "Know what?" He asks, eyes squinted suspiciously. 

Lance gapes at him like his hair had abruptly gained sentience and was trying to eat him. "I thought everybody knew..."

"Well maybe I wasn't _at_ the team meeting where you apparently announced it!"

"I never announced it!"

"Then how does everybody know?" Keith throws his hands up, fed up with the suspense.

"I thought it was obvious!" Lance squeaks, "I always sing stuff like, like _that_ -" 

He gestures wildly to his phone, which is, very appropriately, still blaring, "I like 'em pretty boys, with the bowtie". Keith has a sudden flashback to Lance going "no matter gay straight or bi", something something, "I was born this way, hey" in the shower after training, and how flustered Keith had been hearing it. Oh quiznak, is he really that oblivious?

"-I stick to my skincare routine _religiously_ , and I'm just- me-" Keith makes an outraged noise, because Lance is, indeed, Lance, which is not an explanation and also absolutely outrageous. "-and I like aliens, why wouldn't I like boys too?!" 

"But you never flirt with _alien boys!"_

"Because they remind me too much of you!" 

"HEY!" Keith protests. That's uncalled for and actually kind of... hurts. 

"Oh my God, not like that, you idiot!" Lance cries, sounding exasperated and desperate and somehow blushing even harder than before.

"Then like _what?"_

"Like maybe I have a big fat crush on you!" 

Lance slaps a hand over his mouth, panicked-looking, as Keith gapes and every single emotion but shock drains away. 

"I-I-I meant! Like! A teeny, tiny, almost non-existent, completely unnoticeable- mmph!" 

This kiss is chaste, light except for the initial force of Keith launching himself at the outrageous, outrageous boy, and - Lance would later agree - the most perfect moment of his life. Anytime between five seconds and an eternity later, they pull back from each other, and he's hit with a surge of wild affection at the half-lidded, semi-gobsmacked expression on the other boy's face.

"Oh," Lance says softly after a moment. "So, my gay-dar was right-"

"Shut up and let me enjoy the moment," Keith cuts in without heat. He's sure he's never _felt_ his face looking dopy before.

Lance smirks, and Lance's smirks will never be the same thereafter in Keith's eyes. "Only if you kiss me again." 

" _Oh,_ " he agrees.

Ten minutes later, Keith finds himself sitting at the kitchen table beside the taller boy, almost disbelieving at the sight of their fingers tangled carefully together on the bench. Keith's kind of staring when Lance makes a noise like he's just remembered something.

"Wait! You're a gay man but you don't know Lady Gaga? Or Madonna?" 

Keith shakes his head, looking at Lance through his eyelashes and smiling at his enthusiasm, because he's allowed to be obvious about smiling at Lance now. "Only the stuff you sing."

"What about Elton John? MIKA?" As Keith keeps shaking his head, trying not to laugh, Lance gets steadily faster and more desperate with listing names. "Freddie Mercury, at least? David Bowie? He had a mullet." Keith makes a face. "Oh, oh, Panic! At the Disco! They were emo for awhile."

Keith facepalms. Why on Earth does he like this boy again? Is it too late for regrets? "I'm not emo!" 

Lance waves off his protest, already picking up his phone. "I've heard enough of this blasphemy. It's time for me to give you a proper education on our most iconic kings and queens! An... edu _gay_ tion, if you will." 

Keith groans. "You're ridiculous." But then he snickers despite himself, which makes Lance glance at him with an incredibly pleased expression on his face and rub his thumb over Keith's palm.

"Here, I love this one, and I think you might actually like it..."

They keep holding hands the rest of the night, and Keith can't stop goddamned smiling. 

* * *

A couple weeks later, Lance bursts into the dining room, just a minute late to dinner. "Everybody, listen!" 

They all go on alert, expecting some kind of attack or emergency, but Lance is grinning at them and simply hits play on his phone. Everyone lets out a collective sigh and Keith slumps, dropping his cheek into his right hand.

Immediately, a high G note rings out, clear and beautiful, lasting for a few short moments. Shiro opens his mouth to rebuke Lance for scaring them, but the Cuban boy puts a finger to his lips urgently and Shiro gives up.

Four notes in, Keith's head snaps up, eyes widening and back straightening because he actually recognises this song -- he likes this song! 

And that's all Lance needs to know. His plan worked perfectly. _Ah, sweet, sweet success._

He opens his mouth to say 'I knew it!' But at that exact moment, a new, much more devious plan forms in his head, and he puts _Welcome to the Black Parade_ on pause.

Instead, he begins crowing with delight, "Hey emo boy, hey, hey, hey emo boy!" 

"I'm not emo just because I know one song!" Keith groans. But Lance keeps going, completely undeterred.

"Saw this boy at the mall last week, got the kind of look to make me freak," Lance sings as he dances his way over to where Keith's sitting, dramatic spins and shit-eating grin and all, "That long ass hair, the tightest jeans, My Chemical Romance on his tee." 

He's reached Keith, who's hiding his face in his hands, by that point. So the next part he sings directly to the embarrassed boy, half-draped over the back of Keith's chair and face shoved beside his. "He looked so pale like he was dyin', if I said he wasn't hot then I'd be lyin'." He switches from one side of the chair to the other, closer to the rest of the team. "Please, handsome, don't be coy!"

He takes a quick breath, and finishes triumphantly with, " _Come on, fuck me emo boy~_ "

"LANCE!" The entire team screams in perfect unison.

Lance _cackles,_ right up until Keith stabs him with a fork.

**Author's Note:**

> lance's brain is 70% song lyrics, just like mine. also yes in this fic they all like oldies (except pidge, she's edgy) cuz they're living in 2320 or whatever HAHA hope you guys liked this! :) scream with me about these boys in love and music please


End file.
